As we continue this series of tips, I am reminded of a product we completed about a year ago in Amesbury, MA for an Interior Designer. The Designer and the client had very specific ideas, and requirements. The home was oriented along the river in such a way that direct sunlight was greatest during the mid-day hours. The front of the home was quite traditional, and actually fairly small looking. the embankment rear of the home was very dramatic, and somewhat more contemporary. this dichotomy posed an additional challenge.

The answer to these challenges varied by room. The client had Conrad woven grass shades in an area not affected by the renovation. He loved these shades and wanted to maintain that type of look at a lower budget; he also hoped that we could deliver this type of look without the ’stack’ of the roman shades. Our proposal was to use a well made woven grass fabric on a roller shade. This fabric would afford a reasonable ‘view through’ while filtering the UV for heat and glare. The shades rolled up tightly and were covered by a valance we created in our workroom of the same fabric.

These shades took care of the glare and UV issues, preserved the view and were a minimal affect on the over all design.

Preserve the view

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As our business services most of the ocean and lake front communities from Camden Maine to Winnipesaukee to Cape Cod, we are often asked what is the best products to choose when the home is on the Ocean or lake front. In the next few posts I will share some of our experiences in dealing with the unique challenges of water front window treatments.

In this first post, I would like to layout some of these unique challenges.

• Obviously the primary challenge is preserving the view. That view is the reason these clients live where they do. Choosing a treatment that will obstruct that view, just doesn’t work.
• UV protection is often the second challenge we must deal with. Most often, whatever product is chosen for waterfront windows, the treatment is raised or drawn to the side during the day to preserve the view, allowing the harmful rays of the sun to do damage to home furnishings.
• Heat and glare go hand-in-hand with UV protection, offering the same challenges
• Privacy is a continual challenge as well. If a product is chosen that can be seen through during the day, than people outside of the home can see in during the evening hours if the lights are on in the home.
• Finally, security and weatherproofing are often considerations in the design process. Water front homes are often second homes and therefore empty much of the year. The higher winds that are common in these areas are also a problem as they blow against the large window walls and picture windows that these homes commonly have.

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